Brown planthopper outbreaks have occurred in Asia where heavy early insecticide applications destroyed the pest’s natural enemies. Brown planthopper problems became worse as more insecticides were sprayed; sometimes losses were heavy over wide areas.

Brown planthopper

Farmers in Thailand, for example, experienced major brown planthopper outbreaks in the late 1970s to the early 1980s and in 1989-90; it turned out that major upswings in insecticide use preceded both.